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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, FEB 22: The Delhi High Court today restrained Hinduja-owned In Cable Network’ and a number of other cable operators and their distributors from screening hindi film Kacche Dhagge produced by Tips Films Pvt Ltd.
The order, passed by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice K S Gupta, came on a appeal filed by Tips seeking injunction against a host of cable operators.
Earlier, Tips had filed similar petition before Justice Dalveer Bhandari but failed to get an injunction against the cable operators.
The producer, in its appeal, expressed apprehension that the cable operators might show the film on their network immediately after the release as they do normally.
"It is commonly known that all films are extensively screened on cable without any authority whatsoever and this results in huge financial losses to the producers," Tipscounsel said.
He submitted that unauthorised exhibition of films by cable operators resulted in reduced viewership at cinema halls and theatres which not only cause loss to producers but government exchequer also.
Since production of films involves huge sum of money, its commercial exploitation by the producer was essential, Tips counsel said, adding "that is why the film is first released in cinema halls".
It is vital for the producer to release the film first in theatres and after a substantial gap in other formats such as video, cable and satellite, Tips counsel said.
Counsel for Citi Cable objected to any order being passed against them saying they did not intend to show the movie. Tips counsel claimed that most, if not all, films produced in the country were screened on virtually all cable networks without any authority.
"To make matter worse, these unauthorised screenings are done either on the same day of release of a film in cinema halls or prior to release," he said.
